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Colorings additives: What they are and why are they used?

A coloring product is an additive used for inducing colors and other dynamic visual effects, for enhancing the outlook of finished products in various industries. These additives have a special place in the plastic industry, because the quality of color induced in products has the potential to make or break that product.

Coloring agents can be both synthetic as well as natural. Its most common types include; pigments and dyes. These are used for giving special physical attributes to finished products in the plastic industry. Apart from inducing various shades into a substance, additives can also make a product look more bulky, make it more durable and add corrosion resistant properties.

Let’s take a look at the wide variety of applications in which these are used.

Plastic colorants are used in many ceramic products in the plastic industry. Apart from that it also gives shades to many other materials, as well in a broad industry spectrum.

A few of the most common substrates that are treated with additives like solvents and dyes include art and craft supplies, adhesives, paints and coatings, cosmetics, concrete, beverage and food products, ink, paper, textile, fur, leather, fibers, and photographic materials. Its applications are not limited only to the above-mentioned industrial usage.

Different pigments, dyes and coloring additives are generally first formulated with a particular potential hydrogen pH value. This value is important for dying and coloring processes because of the fact that different substrates react differently to various pH values. For instance, when an acid dye is used for the purpose of dying textile, a low pH value will be helpful in creating a bond between the dye and the protein fibers by strengthening and forming the required hydrogen bond.

On the other hand, in case of a reactive dye, if the pH value is higher, it will produce a tougher bond between cellulose fibers in cotton materials.

This is the reason why the ideal value is determined by the particular type of coloring agent under usage, the particular substrate on which it will be used and on the intended application.

The commercial and industrial colorant type is determined by the individual product’s chemical composition. For instance, Phthalocyanine carries a natural blue-green intense color. This is why it’s largely used in producing green and blue dyes. While this compound is used for particular shades, other compounds are capable of imparting physical qualities to the colors.